“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:1-5; emphasis mine)

“For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4; emphasis mine)

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17,18; emphasis mine)

The “pastor” of this Las Vegas church, “Reverend” David Devereaux, is not teaching the orthodox, Biblical teachings about what God has to say about homosexuality in church membership and clergy (church leadership). He gave the sermon soon after the members and clergy of the United Methodist Church at large (more than 12 million members worldwide) voted to retain what they call their “Traditional View” on the homosexuality/clergy issue. He explained how this view only won by 28 votes! According to my research, the view that lost would have allowed homosexuals in clergy.

An article at Christianity Today outlines what the “Traditional Plan” looks like:

The “Traditional Plan” maintains the current stance against gay marriage and ordination, proposes enhanced accountability, and offers a gracious exit to those who feel they cannot in good conscience remain part of the denomination. Those bodies who leave would be given an exemption from the trust clause and allowed to retain their property. (In an early ruling by the denomination’s judicial body several parts of the original plan were deemed unconstitutional, and it has since been altered and will be presented as the “Modified Traditional Plan.”)

Yesterday, in a Sunday church service at Desert Spring, “Reverend” David Devereaux went into detail about his disapproval of this decision (vote) by the United Methodist Church at large to exclude homosexuals from clergy. He stated that his church is “way ahead of the curve” on this matter (on gay marriage/membership/clergy). According to my notes which I took during the service, he even explained this decision as a blatant disregard for decency!

There are massive problems with his teachings and disapproval of the “Traditional View”. While he conveyed to his audience that the Bible is rather silent on issues such as this, in actuality, the truth is that the Bible is exceedingly clear that homosexuality in church/clergy/marriage is a sin and unacceptable to God. God wants a pure church. It would not be wrongly judgmental or unloving to hold to this orthodox view. This is God’s view, after all. The pastor was conveying the message that the homosexuality/clergy issue is a non-essential (as he quoted the famous, “in essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in everything love”). It just so happens that God is very clear on the issue of homosexuality in clergy, thus it is an essential doctrine!

Yes, we as Christians are called to love. I love the homosexuals I know. I have a family member who is one! They are not a worse sinner than I was, certainly! Homosexuals do not have the corner on sexual sin. We are to show compassion to all. However, that does not change the fact that God wants a pure church. He does not want gay pastors, it’s just what the Bible says. This does not mean we hate, not at all. Love and truth go together. Disapproving of homosexuality in the pulpit does not put us into the category of “hateful”, as this pastor seems to indicate as he explains how we fail at love if we do this. Yes, we are to love and do good to the homosexuals we know. If they are unbelievers, we are not called to judge them, but to love them. If they are sick, or need help, we are to help them. But, as Christians, we are called to a certain standard. Christian pastors are also called to be faithful to their wives. We are to reflect our holy God the best we can and make moral choices because we are the “salt of the earth”.

Run, and run fast, from this church.

During the service, I also got a red flag in my spirit before the sermon even began, but I figured I would give them the benefit of the doubt. The leaders seemed nice, smiled a lot and shook hands; however, I have never seen such a blatant disregard for the Word of God, ever.

It was scary.

His public sermon dated March 3, 2019 was heterodox. This is a matter of public concern. Ironically, the opening Scripture in the service was the “salt of the earth” Scripture (Matthew 5:13). Being the “salt of the earth” means that as Christians, we are to stand out morally from a compromising, immoral culture! We are to be “salty”, like a preservative in a decaying society and a decaying church! We are not to blend in! How ironic and hypocritical it was to use this Scripture before a sermon that condones sexual immorality in church!

He went on to say how Christians should not exclude people, and that Jesus condemns those who exclude people. Then, he quotes 1 Corinthians 12 where it speaks of the body of Christ.

“We are going to continue to be in ministry with all people, with all people, giving witness to the greater church to a better path, a better way. When it comes to Desert Spring, this decision does not impact our ministry…our values…it does not impact my ministry and what I will be doing as your pastor. In a lot of ways, we are like way ahead of the curve on this, because a long time ago, we decided to agree to disagree on this matter…I mean, we have folks in our church that believe homosexuality is a sin, and we have folks in our church that believe it is not a sin, but we have decided loving one another is more important…regardless of whether it is a sin or not…we do better to stop pointing the finger in judgment at other people…at Desert Spring, we say all are welcome…and we mean all are welcome…we believe that people who are tall, short, blue eyes, dark skin…heterosexuals, LGBTQIA…are welcome in this place. We say this because it is a fundamental Biblical principle based on the life of Jesus Christ…He welcomed them all…when it comes to controversial issues, as Christians, we err on the side of love.”

Notice how this “pastor” creates a false dichotomy between loving others and accepting homosexuals into the church (as members/clergy). The Bible commands us to love, and to not judge those outside of the church. But, what about homosexuality inside the church? This pastor is suggesting that this issue is rather non-essential. But, what does the Bible have to say?

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality…” (1 Cor. 6:9; emphasis mine)

“For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thess. 4:2-8; emphasis mine)

“But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.” (1 Cor. 5:13; NASB; emphasis mine)

“An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.” (Titus 1:6; BSB; emphasis mine)

If you are a Christian and attend this church, you need to leave in obedience to the Lord. Run, and run fast. Doing so would not be unloving because it’s obedience (see Romans 16:17-18 on avoiding false teachers who twist doctrines, teach false doctrine and/or deceive their sheeple). Read your Bible at home, or with a good home fellowship. It’s a better use of your time.

https://biblehub.com/esv/1_corinthians/5.htm

https://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/revelation/22.html

Source:

Devereaux, David. March 3, 2019. (Public, featured image and public sermon entitled “March 3rd 2019 – When Christians get it Right – Part 4 – Rev. David Devereaux”. Accessed March 4, 2019. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/321074062

Disclaimer:

Author has no ill-will toward any individuals and/or parties mentioned. All content is the truth spoken to the best of knowledge and/or can be verified by research. Content is a matter of public interest. The above is a “fair use” commentary on public information.

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“Among the gifts of the Spirit, scarcely is one of greater practical usefulness than the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought as being almost indispensable in these critical times. This gift will enable us to distinguish the chaff from the wheat and to divide the manifestations of the flesh from the operations of the Spirit.” — A.W. Tozer

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